4B Board considers pro management option

Published 5:17 pm, Thursday, July 1, 2010

The Midland Footaball, Soccer & Baseball Complex Development Corp. wants to increase revenues and improve the balance sheet at the Scharbauer Sports Complex.

The panel, commonly known as the 4B Board, will consider advertising for bids from professional sports management companies.

A meeting on July 7 will be held at City Hall to discuss the matter. The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Ken Marks, president of the 4B Board, adjourned a Wednesday meeting when too few members showed up to achieve a quorum. He said board members feel they have lowered expenses as much as possible and now need to operate the complex on a more commercial basis.

Marks said that while the panel is pleased with work done for the complex by the Chamber of Commerce and its director of sales and marketing, Nancy Swallow, the six 4B members "want to put the proposal out there and see what comes of it."

"Nancy and the Chamber have done an excellent job, but other people might have different ideas on how to use the complex," he said. "The city has concerns and we have cut expenses."

Only City Councilman John James, a 4B director, and Marks were on time for the 4 p.m. meeting. Michael Dobey arrived at 4:20, but City Director of Community Development Monette Burke said Wesley Bownds was on a conference call and Cary Billingsley was unavailable.

It was known beforehand that the vacationing Jim Smith wouldn't take part, Burke said.

Marks said that with a fund balance of more than $7 million, the board derives enough in city sales taxes to retire the original $39 million in bonded debt 14 years early in 2016.

He said the problem is that operating such a big complex from year to year has proved expensive. "The city does a good job of maintaining the infrastructure," Marks said.

"We want to generate enough revenue to take pressure off the city's budget so they won't have to spend so much on maintenance. We're trying to get the income up and be good stewards of the taxpayers' money."

Other concerns at next week’s 4B session will be the board’s 2010-11 budget, which must be forwarded to City Council before the council’s July 13 meeting. The new budget for 2010-11 calls for projected expenditures of $5,688,950, a $374,515 decrease from the current year’ $6,063,465, according to reports.

In an informal discussion, Midland RockHounds General Manager Monty Hoppel said Tuesday night's West Texas Sports Banquet & Memorabilia Auction at the Commemorative Air Force hangar was a memorable prelude to Wednesday night's Texas League All-Star Game with more than 600 people attending and $40,000 gained from the auction.

Hoppel said Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane had proved empathetic to the city's budgetary straits and the council's skepticism about financing a $325,000 indoor batting cage for the RockHounds.

When previously convened on March 31, the 4B Board had voted to seek $710,000 in capital improvements to the complex, including the batting cage. Smith and Billingsley did not attend that meeting, either. Jay Isaacs resigned in November and has not been replaced.

Other March requests by City Parks & Recreation Manager Scott Swigert were for a $125,000 heating and air conditioning system in Grande Stadium, Citibank Ballpark and 13 other buildings, along with a $250,000 maintenance building on the northeast side of the stadium and $10,000 first base sun shade.

A $125,000 expenditure was approved by the council early this year to resurface the baseball field's infield and warning track.

The lack of a Wednesday quorum kept City Finance Director Bob McNaughton from reporting on current revenues and expenditures. In March, he said the complex was operating with a $1.7 million budget, $724,978 in cash on hand and a $44,740 deficit.